Purpose: The purpose of the study was to verify performance of the Salmonella Triplex Assay with a range of different poultry samples and compare the results to those obtained with the DuPont BAX System Real-Time Salmonella Assay or bioMérieux VIDAS-UP Salmonella Assay at two major poultry meat manufacturers’ laboratories in Brazil.
Methods: A total of 152 naturally contaminated poultry samples representing 13 different matrix types were tested at Poultry Meat Manufacturer 1 (PMM 1). Additionally, 12 poultry samples representing 2 matrix types were inoculated with Salmonella Enteritidis or Salmonella Typhimurium at Poultry Meat Manufacturer 2 (PMM 2). Three samples were inoculated with a competing background of either Escherichia coli or Enterobacter aerogenes. All samples analyzed with the Salmonella Triplex kit were enriched in Buffered Peptone Water at 37°C for 18 hours, lysed, tested and analyzed according to the protocol described for the TaqMan Salmonella Triplex Assay with lysis. The BAX or VIDAS-UP Salmonellaanalysis was performed according to the manufacturers’ instructions.
Results: The Salmonella Triplex Assay method proved to be an accurate method. One hundred forty-nine of the 152 samples tested (98.0%) yielded comparable results with the BAX and VIDAS-UP methods at PMM 1 laboratory and 100% (12/12) of samples gave the correct results in the analysis conducted at PMM 2.
Significance: The study demonstrated that the TaqMan Salmonella Triplex Assay method offers a rapid, easy-to-use and reliable workflow for the detection of Salmonella spp., Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium in poultry samples.